[Washupdates] Washington Update

[Michael Henry]

*Washington Update
April 20, 2011*

*Senate Confirms Sullivan and Droegemeier*

On April 14, the U.S. Senate confirmed Kathryn Sullivan, Director of the 
Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy in the John 
Glenn School of Public Affairs at Ohio State University, as Assistant 
Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction.  In 
this role, Sullivan will oversee the National Weather Service and other 
programs and facilities related to weather and water.  The position 
provides policy oversight for all of NOAA's activities in observing and 
predicting ocean, atmosphere, and climate dynamics.

Prior to joining Ohio State, Sullivan served a decade as President and 
CEO of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio, one 
of the nation's leading science museums.  Sullivan joined COSI after 
three years' service as Chief Scientist at NOAA, where she oversaw 
research and technology programs agency-wide.  Sullivan was one of the 
first six women selected to join the NASA astronaut corps in 1978 and 
holds the distinction of being the first American woman to walk in 
space.  She flew on three shuttle missions during her 15-year tenure, 
including the mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope.  
Sullivan has also served on the National Science Board (2004-2010) and 
as an oceanographer in the U.S. Navy Reserve (1988-2006).

Also on April 14, the Senate confirmed Kelvin K. Droegemeier, of 
Oklahoma, to be a Member of the National Science Board of the NSF for a 
second five-year term, expiring in May 2016.  Kelvin is presently Vice 
President for Research, Regents' Professor of Meteorology  and 
Weathernews Chair Emeritus at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.  He 
co-founded the NSF Science and Technology Center for the Analysis and 
Prediction of Storms and directed it from 1994-2006, and in 2003 he 
co-founded and presently serves as deputy director of the NSF 
Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the 
Atmosphere.


*NOAA Seeking Qualified Applicants for Director of Pacific Marine 
Environmental Laboratory*

NOAA is seeking a new Director for the Office of Atmospheric Research's 
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, WA.  The position is 
open for application until May 27, 2011, under announcement number 
NOAA#11-13.tnl.   For more info or to apply, click here 
<http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=97549750&JobTitle=Director%2c+Pacific+Marine+Environmental+Laboratory&q=PMEL&where=&brd=3876&vw=b&FedEmp=N&FedPub=Y&x=0&y=0&AVSDM=2011-04-12+03%3a36%3a00>.


*A Few Additional Notes Related to Our Last Washington Update on the 
FY11 Spending Agreement*

   1. Several of you pointed out that the $10 million fund cap put in
      place for IPCC & UNFCCC in the FY11 spending bill was incorrectly
      referred to as the "International Panel on Climate Change" rather
      than the "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change."   The IPCC
      has been mislabeled as the "International Panel on Climate Change"
      for the last few appropriations bills.  It appears to just be an
      error on the part of the Committee, which should have no practical
      effect.

   2. A few of you have also asked about the provision in the FY11
      spending bill which prohibits NASA and the White House Office of
      Science & Technology Policy from working or entering into
      contracts with China.  This provision was proposed by several
      Members of Congress in protest to human rights abuses in China. 
      It does not affect or prohibit research grants, scientific
      visitors, or students from or connected to China.

-- 

Michael S. Henry

Legislative Specialist

mhenry at ucar.edu

303.497.2108 / C: 303.362.3731

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)

Government Affairs

P.O. Box 3000

Boulder, CO 80307

http://www.ucar.edu/oga/

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.ucar.edu/pipermail/washupdates/attachments/20110420/db9cf9d9/attachment.html